Fawlty Towers actor spoke out about the distressing incident in 2008 two years before his death

By JILL ROBINSON, SHOWBIZ REPORTER

2nd December 2016,12:11 am

Updated: 23rd March 2017,2:55 pm

ANDREW Sachs was still haunted by the obscene prank phone call by Russell Brand and Jonathan Ross almost six years after his ordeal.

The Fawlty Towers actor – who passed away in a care home last week aged 86 following a secret battle with dementia – spoke out about what his family was put through by the two stars during their 2008 prank call on BBC Radio, which became known as Sachsgate.

Andrew Sachs was still haunted by Jonathan Ross and Russell Brand’s obscene prank calls years after the ordeal

Despite the many years that had passed since the duo had left obscene messages on his answering machine, telling him that Russell had slept with his granddaughter Georgina, Andrew admitted he was still haunted by the prank.

Writing in the Daily Mail in 2014 which he titled ‘Cruelty that will haunt me forever’, he said: “For all my family, the unpleasant incident that hit the headlines in October 2008 was hugely distressing.”

Andrew went on to explain how a young producer on the BBC Radio show had called him to see if he would be interviewed for a pre-recorded segment, but his schedule at the time wouldn’t allow it.

Andrew was best known for playing Spanish waiter Manuel in Fawlty Towers

After complaining to the BBC and meeting with then Director General Mark Thompson, the Corporation was fined £150,000 by the regulator Ofcom; and both Russell and Lesley Douglas, the controller of Radio 2, resigned from the BBC.

Meanwhile Jonathan was suspended without pay for 12 weeks, and later described the experience as ‘fun’.